THIS COUNTRY WILL BLOW YOUR MIND IN SOUTH ASIA
Look at this road. It's so beautiful. Do you speak Hindi? Yes, I'm from India. From here? No. Then? The immigration counter is also empty.
There's no one here. And the best thing is that you get to see this in every airport in India. Which surprises me a lot. I feel like I'm in a new country for the first time in the last 4 years. But I didn't feel like I was in a new country. Look at the buses here. These are also from Ashok Leeland.
So you can travel to an extra destination in a great way. You can say it's almost free. Hello everyone. How are you? After a long time, I'm back with a new journey. Right now, I'm at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad. Yes, it's Rajiv Gandhi, not Indira Gandhi.
Which is one of my favorite and most convenient airports. I'll tell you why I'm flying from India. But this is the atmosphere outside Rajiv Gandhi Airport. I don't know if I've ever shown you this airport before.
But whatever it is, let's go to our check-in counter. We're flying for the first time from Sri Lankan Airlines. I'm flying for Colombo. My flight is about to take off in around 2 hours. So we're inside the Hyderabad airport.
These are all international flights that are currently flying here. There are 7 airlines and destinations. We're going to Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka. Which you can see, Chadda, Abu Dhabi, Doha. This is today's flight schedule.
Let's check out our check-in counter. This is our Sri Lankan Airlines check-in counter. Which is completely empty.
The reason I was telling you is that it's so convenient to fly from the airport. Go and check in. Sri Lankan Airlines? Yes, Sri Lankan Airlines. Colombo, right? My check-in was done in 10 minutes.
They gave me a boarding pass. They gave me an envelope of Sri Lankan Airlines. My check-in was done here. And as soon as I checked in, there is a passport control 5 minutes away. My immigration will be done there.
The immigration counter is completely empty. There is no one here. Let's get immigration done quickly. Then I'll tell you the rest of the story.
Today's date is 16th March. And the time is 11.30 right now. My flight is around 1 o'clock. So I have an hour's time. Then our boarding will start.
My flight is from Colombo. But I'm not flying to Sri Lanka. I'm going to Nepal. And I got a great deal from Sri Lankan Airlines. If I had flown directly from Delhi to Hyderabad, I would have paid around Rs. 6,000 to Rs. 8,000. But I'm going to Sri Lanka from Hyderabad.
I have a one-day transit in Sri Lanka. After that, I'll fly to Nepal from Sri Lanka. And for that, I paid around Rs. 8,000. I thought it's a great opportunity to travel to Sri Lanka one day. Because I didn't travel. And from there, I can travel to my final destination, Nepal. But I was in India for about a month.
And I've been in India for about a month and I'm starting my trip. Because I've applied for some visas. I still can't believe that I got it. No one can believe what I'm saying. That I got a visa from that country.
I was getting my immigration done. So he asked me. And the number of times I'm going to get my immigration, I think people are going to ask me. Because of the visa I have in my password. But right now, Ramzan is going on. That's why I'm not traveling to that country.
I'm just giving you a hint. And it's very difficult to get a tourist visa from that country. But I got a tourist visa from that country. Which you'll get to see in the upcoming videos.
Which country it is. But the overall immigration was very smooth. This is what I like the most about this airport. First of all, there is no crowd.
You can come easily. No need to queue up. The immigration line was empty.
And they don't even ask too many questions. Normally, the biggest problem is at Delhi airport. I had a very good experience in Mumbai.
But at Delhi airport, when you ask so many questions. What should I tell you? I don't have a single experience. Many travelers have similar experiences. If I talk about Delhi airport. And that is also one of the main reasons. I like this airport so much.
Hyderabad, in the last few years. Because my brother is based in Hyderabad. I have flown a lot from here.
So in the last few years, I have seen. It's so good to travel from here. You can get a flat in most of the big cities. If you want to go to the Middle East.
You can get a flight from the big cities of the Middle East. If you want to go to Asia. You can easily get a flight from Singapore or Thailand. If you want to go somewhere else.
So the route here is very good. And you get a lot of good flights. And one more thing. The best thing for me.
You will get to see this in every airport in India. Which surprises me so much. For now, you are getting water here. And look at the price of water. Look at this. Campa Serenity Water.
You are getting a bottle of water for 20 rupees. Tell me. I have been to more than 60 countries.
I have not seen such cheap water in any airport. As much as I see in India. If you go to any airport. You will get the same system. You are getting a bottle of water for 20 rupees.
You can also see all the drinks. Campa Cola is available here. At a very good rate.
So let's order now. Let's see how they add to cart. A bottle of water. We will most probably pay from UPI. So the payment is done.
And let's see how it comes. How did it come? Failure. I don't know. It's not working right now. I paid for the vending machine. I paid twice.
The payment failed. Hopefully, the money will come. But normally, it works everywhere.
Maybe this is an exception. I don't know. I have used it before. So see.
You are getting water for 20 rupees. Here at the airport. That too at the airport.
The biggest thing is that you are getting it at the airport. I have come to a coffee shop. Its name is Hathi Kapi. Okay. And here I went to order coffee. And all the menus.
Kapi Kapi is written in this shop. This is a coffee brand from Bangalore. So I didn't understand. I am telling him that I want coffee. So she is saying that this is the price. I am saying that I can't see any coffee here.
Then later. I have come for the first time. I have never tried this brand before. So then she says that Kapi is coffee.
So here Kapi is called coffee. You can say like this. According to that. So this Hathi Kapi is Kapi.
Yes Kapi. Where I cry in South Indian Accident. Something like that. So now we have come here. Our boarding is here.
Sorry. There is a check-in gate there. And from here we are getting an Indigo airline. A Saudi airline. And this is our Sri Lankan airline.
Yes. This is the one. Most probably.
I think the check-in will start in some time. But if I tell you about this trip. So I made a plan to travel to Nepal.
And the biggest reason is that. I was so confused this time. Where should I travel? So this is a very random plan of Nepal. I literally don't know anything. I think I haven't booked a hostel yet.
In Kathmandu. Where I am flying. I have heard a lot about that country. We have a lot of viewers from Nepal. It's my first time. But let's see how it is.
Our experience of traveling. Nepal. And right now Sri Lanka. This is our seat.
I found a very good aircraft and airline. I am sitting in Sri Lankan airline for the first time. There is also a very good leg space. And this is our outside view.
And if I tell you about Sri Lankan airline. One special thing. This is a full-service airline. That means you will get food and everything. Like our Indigo. Indigo is not full-service.
And you won't get food. Because it doesn't have that hot wave. They will give you a pre-cooked meal. Or packed food.
In Indigo. But Air India is full-service. Sri Lankan airline is again full-service. But Air India Express is not full-service. Then you don't get food.
You have to pay. So I got a very good meal. This is full-service aircraft at a very decent price. And I will go.
I am traveling in Sri Lanka. I am going to Nepal from Sri Lanka. And everything is included. Like food.
So this is our food. I got veg food. Veg noodles. They gave me fruits.
And they gave me cutlery. Because I think this is made of steel. Like Air India.
This is all steel cutlery. And I liked it very much. They gave me a cup of water. And juice. One thing you must have noticed. Like I told you.
This is full-service. For example. People who fly. They know.
How the system is. But full-service. You will get juices. Water. Food.
And juice. You will get all options. Alcoholic. Non-alcoholic. Drink.
You will get all options. You can choose according to what you want. But Air India Express has become a little Indigo. You don't even get food.
Even if you pay. If you ask for food. You won't get hot food. You will get snacks. Nuts and all. But this is the full service, where you get all the services.
Welcome to Colombo International Airport, Sri Lanka. Our flight just landed. And I think in the last 4 years of my travel, for the first time I feel like I'm in a new country.
But I didn't feel like I'm in a new country. I feel like I've reached a South Indian city in India. The people here look so similar. The people here are all wearing sarees. So I don't feel like I'm in an international destination.
Our immigration was also very smooth. I have transit. So actually, when I was researching to come to Sri Lanka, I had to take an ETA here. I mean, I read that Indians have to take an ETA.
So I took an ETA, but no one asked for an ETA here. As soon as I arrived, they slapped me on arrival. And they said very smoothly, go wherever you want to go. Then come tomorrow and catch your flight. By the way, my bag is still in Kathmandu. My baggage hasn't arrived yet.
So I'll get it directly in Kathmandu. The best thing here is that UPI is also accepted here. Am I going the right way? Exit. Yes, this is it. Sometimes when I make a video, I don't even understand where I'm going.
But UPI is accepted everywhere here. And I think recently I heard that UPI is in UAE, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and it's also being accepted in Singapore. But this is my first impression.
It's very hot in Sri Lanka. It's a little too hot. I'm coming from Hyderabad right now.
And this is the flag of Sri Lanka in front of us. And now let's see what public transportation is here. How can we go to the central area here? I found a very small airport. As soon as we landed here, it started raining here. It started raining. But there is a bus ahead.
You can see ahead. I asked 2-3 people there. They said that the bus will go to the central area. I booked a hostel nearby.
I found only one difference here. I met so many Western tourists here. And I think they must have come from Europe.
So many old people are meeting me to travel here in Sri Lanka. I find it so interesting when old people travel. This culture has not come to India as much as Europeans do.
They travel in old age. By saving money. So many old people came here.
They must have come from France. They were speaking French. This is the bus that goes to the central area. I don't feel like I'm in a foreign country. Everything is the same here. Thank you.
All the buses here are from Ashok Leeland. Don't tell me that I don't know anything. I expected it to be similar to Sri Lanka. But it's my first time here. So everything is new to me. This is Sri Lanka's airport.
Opposite to it, you can see Buddha's statue. It has stopped raining. Someone told me that you can get a bus here. I don't know what language this is. This is Tamil.
This is English. I think this is their local Sinhala language. This is a major ethnic city. You can see this in Sri Lanka. Life has started outside the airport.
You can see autos everywhere. I don't understand the system of the airport. There is no public transportation here. There is no public transportation to go to the central area.
I saw taxis and Ubers. But I didn't want to take an Uber. I wanted to show you the public transportation. I think this is the bus that goes to the central area. I think this is it. Does this go to Colombo? Yes.
Thank you. How much is the price? 300 rupees. I don't have cash. Can I pay by card? No card.
Only cash. I have US dollars. Is that okay? Dollar? Yes. Can I use UPI? How much? 10 dollars. 10 dollars? Yes.
3000? 3000? No. Only 2700. You have 2700. You give.
I give 10 dollars. This is the bus to Sri Lanka. I think this bus will take me to Colombo. I will have to see the bus from Colombo. But you can see the buses here. How much is 300 rupees? Sri Lankan Rupees.
Indian Rupees is around 100 rupees. 1 rupee is around 3.5 Sri Lankan Rupees. Indian Rupees is 3.5 times stronger than Sri Lankan Rupees. I didn't have cash. I thought I will pay by card.
But the bus driver didn't have a scanner. He told me to try in another shop. I didn't have cash. I gave him US dollars.
I told him to take it. He said he didn't have dollars. He said he didn't have 3000 Sri Lankan Rupees. An auto driver helped me. I gave him 10 dollars. He gave me 2700 Sri Lankan Rupees.
I told him to take it. He gave me 2700 Sri Lankan Rupees. I arranged the cash.
This is the Sri Lankan currency. I gave him 10 dollars. This is 1000 Sri Lankan Rupees. You can see the notes here.
This is around 350 Indian Rupees. This is 100 Indian Rupees. This is 100 Indian Rupees. The Indian currency notes are colorful.
I was able to get out of the bus. I was able to get out of the bus. I was able to get out of the bus.
I was able to get out of the bus. The bus dropped me here. This is a place called Fort.
This is a place called Fort. You can see buses from here. Today is Sunday. You can see everything closed.
You can see a big tower behind me. You can see a big tower behind me. You can eat here. You can eat here.
Then we will go to our hostel. Then we will go to our hostel. I have lived in South India for more than half my life. I have lived in South India for more than half my life. I have lived in South India for more than half my life.
That's why I feel a lot of similarities. But if you come from North India, you will like it. But if you come from North India, you will like it. I have a good feeling about the island life. I have a good feeling about the island life. People are doing their job.
Today is Sunday, so there is no shop. In India, everything is closed on Sundays. In India, everything is closed on Sundays.
74% of the population here are Sinhalese. When I left the airport, I saw a statue of Buddha. Sinhalese people follow Buddhism. 10% of the population here are Sri Lankan Tamils. 10% of the population here are Sri Lankan Tamils. Moors are Sri Lankan Muslims.
Moors are Sri Lankan Muslims. When Arab traders came here, they were called Moors. When Arab traders came here, they were called Moors. About 10% of the population here are Moors. You can see Indian Tamils here.
Indians were brought here to plant tea trees. This was the British rule. Before independence, this place was called Ceylon. Sri Lanka was not the name.
India, Pakistan and Bangladesh were all India. But this island was called Ceylon. After independence, it was called Sri Lanka. You can see the people here. There is a small street market here. You can see all the things here.
This is the electronic market. This is the electronic market. You can see all the accessories here.
You can see all the accessories here. The shop is closed. The shop is closed. But they have made it in a very interesting way, as you can see. It's a bit like an Asian market, like the ones we see in China and Hong Kong.
With big billboards, they have made a market like this. With bright lights, like red and blue. Which I found a bit unique, if I talk about this market. Bombay Sweets, an Indian sweets shop.
This is the local life of Colombo. Look at this road, it's so beautiful. It feels like I have come to Asia.
It has a proper Hong Kong-China vibe. With big billboards in the shops. There's a shop ahead, it's called Chennai Silks. I have definitely seen a lot of Indian brands here. Look at this car, it's from Hero Honda.
I have seen a lot of Indian brands in this area. But I really liked this place. Look at the cleanliness of the road. We are in a very congested and crowded area right now.
Even then, you can see the cleanliness here. And you can see a very beautiful temple here. It's a very similar kind of temple that we see in India or South India. Look at this, it's such a beautiful temple here. I have come here for transit, I am here for a day. I have to leave tomorrow after travelling for a day.
But this Colombo seems to be a very interesting destination. And I think most of the things in Sri Lanka are outside Colombo. That's what I have read and heard about it. As I was saying earlier, everything in the airport seems to be from India.
I think the people coming here are realizing that there is something different here. Do you speak Hindi? Yes, I am from India. Yes, are you from here? No, I am from Coimbatore. Oh, you are from Coimbatore, that's great. I am from Kolkata, do you know Bengal? Yes, I know Bengali.
How are you? How are you? I am good, I am good. How are you? I am good, I am good. Is there a restaurant here to eat? Yes, there is a restaurant. Go straight and then turn left.
Thank you sir, thank you. Golden coffee? Golden coffee, okay. Okay boss, okay boss, okay. So we met people from Coimbatore here.
You can see. They were speaking Hindi. I was surprised in Sri Lanka. And you can see here. I just showed you the temple, I think this is a mosque.
I think this is a mosque. You can see. You can see.
Okay, I think now I will go to the hotel. That's it. Okay sir, thank you. You are welcome. Thank you. You are welcome.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you, thank you. Thank you, thank you. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you, thank you. From India? You are from Colombo? Yes, I am from Colombo. Thank you, thank you. The owner is from India? Yeah, he recommended me an Indian restaurant, a Golden Café. I said okay.
Thank you. What do you have here for food? Can I see the menu? So this is the restaurant recommended by this person. I asked a random stranger to name the restaurant since I could not find it anywhere. What is going on with me Throughout this journey? Come, let me show you where this restaurant is.
So this is the menu here. I have ordered a Masala Dosa for 400 Sri Lankan Rupees, which is about Rs. 100-150 in Indian Rupees. I really liked the people here.
I was actually looking for a Sri Lankan restaurant. So this is the Indian restaurant that this person recommended me. I am having Dosa again. I am having Dosa again after coming back from South India. But whatever it is, I have come here for a day.
If you get a booking on a single night, then you can travel for 2-3 days and then go to your second destination. You can also do this if you look at the airline website. So you can travel to an extra destination in a very good way. You can say it's almost free. So this is the Dosa here. This is actually such a big Dosa.
He folded it and gave it to me because it was not coming in the plate. So we are eating this here and we are paying about 400 Sri Lankan Rupees for it. It looks very big. I don't know if I will be able to finish it. Along with this, they have given all the different types of chutneys here. You can see here, if you travel properly in Tamil Nadu or any South Indian state, you will get to see a similar system.
There are different types of chutneys here. There is a spoon here. You take it and start eating.
So we just had food here. These South Indian people, the restaurant. I ate Dosa and now I am leaving for my hostel. And look at our auto.
Okay. So finally I have come to my hostel. I just checked in.
I am in the common area of the hostel. You can see all the utensils here. It's a very basic hostel. I am paying about 500 rupees per night for the dorm here. I am very tired to be honest.
Because we have been outside since morning. So I will go and take a shower. I think I will have to leave again tomorrow morning around 5 or 4. Because I have a check-in at 7 for Kathmandu. Which is a little far.
Because the airport is a little far. So I think it's about an hour's journey. I think I am 30 km away from the airport right now.
So it's okay. We will manage that tomorrow. How to go.
Personally, I liked Colombo very much. And to be honest, I want to spend more time here. But whatever it is.
Next time when I come, I will stay here longer. In Sri Lanka. And we will travel outside Colombo. But right now we are in transit. So tomorrow morning I will leave for the airport.
And we will fly to Kathmandu, Nepal. Where we are going to travel properly. I will end this video here. If you liked this video, then like it.
Comment your views. How did you like my first impression of Colombo? Anyway, be happy. Make the people around you happy.
And I will meet you in our next video. Till then, bye-bye.
2025-03-21 01:11
